Andrew Jones has been the Member of Parliament for Harrogate and Knaresborough since 2010, and making it a Conservative seat, when it was previously Lib Dem.
Andrew has held the Ministerial position of Under Secretary of State Department for Transport.
We put a number of questions to him.
What has driven you to want to stand again from the Conservative Party for Harrogate & Knaresborough ?
I want to continue speaking out for the community in which I live. Over the last 14 years working with community groups, businesses and individuals we have made a lot of progress. We have direct London trains, the pacer trains are gone, two new operating theatres are being built at Harrogate Hospital, Harrogate High school has been rebuilt, we have won bathing water status for the River Nidd at the Lido and much, much more.
But there is still more to do and what drives me is making our area even better. Having lived her for 25 years people can be assured my commitment to our community is real. That is because it is my community too.
Many view the last election as a second Brexit vote, how would you, if it is possible to, define this election ?
Each individual will I am sure define the election according to what is important to them. For me this election is about whether we follow two MPs with strong local connections – myself and Phil Willis – with an MP who is on his third different parliamentary seat in five years and who has been a councillor in Newcastle and a councillor in Wakefield – all since 2018! We don’t want to be a springboard for career politicians. We need someone who we know is committed to our area not someone who has told voters that they are committed to Wakefield, Newcastle, Pontefract and Batley at one election or another in the last five years.
Do you think you will win, and if so what will people be voting for party or personality, what would get you over the line ?
I never pre-judge the electorate – they will decide whether I win or not. Over the years I feel that people have got used to seeing me around, know what I have been doing in the community and know that my commitment to our area is real. I think it is that genuine commitment, even given the national picture, that people recognise and will be decisive.
What do you see as the biggest local issue ?
Most people believe the polls and think we will have a Labour government with a large majority. They are therefore viewing the election here from a different – and very local – perspective. The biggest issue is therefore who can be trusted to speak out for our area and to do so effectively.
I have lived here for 25 years. I was a councillor in Harrogate for eight years. Before being elected as an MP I worked for Bettys and Taylors. I have never stood for Parliament anywhere else because I have only ever wanted to represent and get the best results for the community in which I live. For me, being an MP has never been an end in itself.
And I think, after 14 years and four elections that resonates with people. I take a positive approach, no screaming headlines, no outrageous claims just laying out calmly what we have achieved as a community – greener and cleaner electric buses, investment in our train stations, stopping the Nidd Gorge relief road proposal, campaigning against the Allerton asphalt plant. Helping people on new estates deal with developers who have left them in the lurch, ensuring park home owners received fuel rebates and so on. No one on the ballot paper can match that local track record.
What do you see as the biggest national issue?
For me it is the economy. That is because a strong economy powers investment in our public services. With a growing and vibrant economy we generate the taxes that pay for our health service and enable us to better protect our environment. A strong economy means more jobs and a rising wages. It means more investment in schools.
So a strong, growing, vibrant economy is the key that unlocks improvements in our public services and our daily lives.
